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The AI-powered, human-refined translation platform secures its place once again on the illustrious list of the fastest-growing companies in California
SAN FRANCISCO — March 16, 2022 — Unbabel (https://unbabel.com/), an AI-powered language operations platform that helps businesses deliver multilingual customer experience at scale, reveals that it ranked No. 54 in the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for the California region. This is the second consecutive year Unbabel has earned its spot on the list, which highlights successful growing businesses within the Californian economy.
Unbabel is a scalable, Language Operations platform that provides a unique and hybrid approach to translation. By combining the speed of machine translation with the authenticity of humans in the loop, Unbabel offers fast, cost-effective, and high-quality translations, in near real-time, so customer service and marketing teams can provide multilingual support across their digital channels.
To qualify for the Inc. 5000 Regionals list for 2022, companies must be U.S.-based, and founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2018. They must also be privately held, for-profit, and independent. The competing companies are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2018 and 2020. The companies on the list for 2022 experienced an average growth rate of 195%, and, in 2020 alone, they added 10,252 jobs and $5.1 billion to the Pacific region’s economy. For more information about the winners, the results of the Inc. 5000 can be found at https://www.inc.com/regionals/pacific.
“Unbabel has seen tremendous growth over the past two years, and this result is testament to the great work we are doing to help businesses scale globally,” says Vasco Pedro, Co-Founder and CEO of Unbabel. “With Unbabel’s acquisition of Lingo24 in December last year, we are continuing on our mission to become the world’s translation layer.”
For more details read Unbabel’s blog post here: https://resources.unbabel.com/blog/unbabel-awarded-for-achievements-in-ai-cx-and-company-growth
Unbabel eliminates language barriers so that businesses can thrive across cultures and geographies.
The company’s Language Operations platform blends advanced artificial intelligence with humans in the loop, for fast, efficient, high-quality translations that get smarter over time. Unbabel helps enterprises grow into new global markets and builds customer trust by creating more consistent, high-quality multilingual customer experiences across marketing and customer service.
Based in San Francisco, Calif., Unbabel works with leading brands such as Booking.com, Nestle, Panasonic, Patagonia, and UPS, to communicate effortlessly with customers around the world, no matter what language they speak.
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Disney will be unveiling a project that has been in development for a long time in 2019, and we’ll be getting a sneak peek of it this Christmas.
Disney bought Lucasfilm from George Lucas for $4 billion in 2012, and since then, this new land was in the plans for Hollywood Studios’ expansion, along with Toy Story Land, which opened this summer. Disney’s first matter of business was Star Was: The Force Awakens, setting up the scene for its next three films, and then came this land.
The land was announced in 2015, and it promised a fully immersive Star Wars experience. It was set to be ten times what 1987’s Star Tours is in the land currently. The land will allow guests to fly a real life suzed Millennium Falcon, look up at life sized AT-ATs, and explore a detailed planet called Batuu.
Since the beginning of construction, we’ve seen glimpses of concept art and snippets of construction.
The build of the land is almost fully complete, and many of its features have been installed for prepare for its Fall 2019 opening. According to a tweet from Disney owned news network ABC, we’ll be getting a never before seen sneak peek. ABC will air The Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade on Christmas morning, so the sneak peak will likely air in conjunction with that.
Don’t miss the magical Christmas tradition you love, plus a sneak peek at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, coming in 2019 to @Disneyland and @WaltDisneyWorld. The Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, 12/25 on ABC! pic.twitter.com/PvsZTdLvD3
— ABC (@ABCNetwork) December 19, 2018
Galaxy’s Edge will include a luxury resort that transports families into space for a full immersive stay, and several themed restaurants. Stores will be chock full of Star Wars merch and brand new toys too.
It will be one of the most elaborate lands to open in recent years.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens in summer 2019 at Disneyland Resort and late fall 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort.
Shannon Toohey is Editor-In-Chief of FanFest.com. She graduated from Hofstra University in 2015 with a B.A. in Journalism from the Lawrence Herbert School of Communications. Shannon has been a proud member of the Fan Fest team since 2013. Tweet her in your prettiest bird voice: @shannontoo

domain: news


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Evolution Time Critical, which specialises in emergency logistics, is expanding its facilities as a result of rising demand from the automotive industry.
The company, which has seen revenue rise by 19 per cent in the past year, has implemented an EDMS transport management system as well as recruiting new staff.
Managing director, Brad Brennan said: “Over the last 12 to 18 months we have seen the automotive industry better understand the benefits that can be brought by emergency logistics provision as a strategic tool for enabling higher-risk strategies, and as a way of protecting against supply chain fracture.”
The Evolution Delivery Management System (EDMS) has been developed to ETC’s specification and enables time-sensitive adaptation of contingency plans.
“The introduction of the new EDMS system, aligned with our new web site updates and employee expansion, ensures we are ideally positioned to meet the automotive industry’s next generation supply chain concerns in 2016 and beyond,” said Brennan.


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PublishNews Brazil has the story (Amazon to Offer Cut Price Kindle in Brazil):
Amazon intends to sell the Kindle in Brazil for R$199 (US$115) when it begins operations in the country later this year. The company is also considering selling the Kindle for as low as R$149 in a move to gain market share, according to people familiar with the negotiations being done with the company. To reach that price, however, remains a big challenge in a country with high taxes and, in general, very high operating expenses.
Read the full story at PublishNews Brazil.


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Tech : the rise of the Uber app
The Californian delivery platform recorded a marked increase in its turnover during the second quarter of 2023. Nearly $326 million in earnings were recorded last quarter. Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi explained: "Robust demand, new growth drivers and continued cost discipline have resulted in an excellent quarter".
After a period of decline marked by the Covid-19 health crisis in the United States, demand increased by 22%, impacting the growth rate of the company, which has been breaking records since its opening. Founded by Garrett Camp, Oscar Salazar and Travis Kalanick in 2010 under the name UberCab, the company has indeed experienced a number of controversies over the course of its history, leading it to review its business model.
A look back at the very beginnings of the app
In its early days, Uber was a mobile application that put drivers of transport vehicles (taxis) in contact with users. The drivers worked independently, i.e. they were not bound to Uber by an employment contract and did not benefit from social security contributions (health insurance, pensions).
Ten years on, working conditions have improved significantly. VTC drivers earn an estimated minimum income of €7.56 per journey. The company has teamed up with insurers and offers free health and death insurance in France.
On the service side, the lines have also moved. Uber offers home delivery of meals. Users heading in the same direction can take a ride together and share the cost. To get around, they can take a chauffeur-driven car or a self-service bicycle, a scooter, etc.
To maximise its market share, the company is offering attractive rates, diversifying its services and expanding worldwide. It is present in over 250 cities in Europe, Asia and America.
The application is available on Android and iOS.
Source : l'Usine Digitale


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Turnover are high, there are stable cash flows but why the world no. 1 Phone company stocks plunged from it’s all time high?
The reason is the wall street expected more from the Apple inc. as the sales were little lower what analyst analyzed and the outlook of shares were also less bullish as expected from the investors.
Apple stock fell by 3% on Tuesday continuing the slide after the company declared it’s Q1 reports and the stock value fell down by 15% from it’s all time high that was clocked in april 2015.
Share corrected itself later but if it fell more to 20% then it would be entering the bear market of stocks.
There are also concerns after the fresh Stock crisis in china that apple maybe losing its ground in china. Apple inc. gets around 25% of its sales From the Chinese consumers.
Research firms like Canalays said that apple which was a market leader in Mobile market slipped to third now. Apple is behind the Xiaomi and Huawei company in China.
Analyst says that nowadays people are buying costly phones but they expect it to use till 3-4 years because of high amount of investment. The same happened to the laptops and personal computers.
Investors wants the company to develop more products and also focus on other things than Iphone because investors are the only one to see the future and according to them if the company fails to bring the innovation in their phones then they would be loosin their esteemed consumers that are loyal to their brand.
Even Apple is indulging into buybacking it’s own shares so as to limit the supply of shares to keep the stock level high
Investors says that instead of buybacking their own shares they should be investing the same money in R&D to bring some more innovation.
An Apple a day keeps the doctor away But here Apple inc. do need a Doctor


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Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. is getting ready to launch a plug-in hybrid car by the middle of the next decade, company sources said Sunday.
Fuji Heavy, makers of the Subaru brand, also wants to team up with none other than hybrid-car pioneer Toyota Motor Corp., its top shareholder, in developing the model, which can be recharged using a household power outlet, the sources said.
The move is expected to further deepen cooperation between Fuji Heavy and Toyota in the field of environmentally safe vehicles. Fuji Heavy has announced it will launch an ordinary gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle in 2012 based on Toyota technology.
Toyota and Honda Motor Co. are planning to sell plug-in hybrid cars for general use in 2012, while Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is scheduled to introduce its own plug-in hybrid model by 2013.
Fuji Heavy plans to set the direction for its business in China, including the selection of a joint-venture partner to produce cars there, by the end of this year, the sources added.


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Kourtney Kardashian ended her whirlwind week with a hanging look. Forward of her household’s reality-television reboot, the star attended “The Kardashians” premiere on April 7 in Los Angeles carrying a dramatic Valentino cape costume from the model’s fall/winter 2022 assortment. With its floor-length hemline and cascading cape, the costume has a extra modest silhouette, which is offset by an underboob cutout above the midriff. Kardashian added an edgy contact with a mixed-metal chainlink necklace.
Kardashian’s fiancé Travis Barker was additionally in attendance with his three youngsters, Atiana De La Hoya, Alabama Barker, and Landon Barker. The looks comes days after Kardashian and Barker had an impromptu wedding ceremony ceremony at a Las Vegas chapel following the Grammys. The wedding ceremony wasn’t legally binding, nevertheless, as they weren’t capable of get hold of a wedding license. “Apply makes good,” Kardashian joked. For his or her trial run, Kardashian and Barker wore matching leather-based jackets, after all, which Kardashian wore over a yellow corset with an embroidered cross.
It has been a month of favor moments for the loved-up couple: Kardashian wore an Et Ochs cape jumpsuit to the Grammys, whereas Barker wore a Givenchy vest and a pink satin coat he often layered over. Not lengthy earlier than, they attended the Oscars in related all-black outfits — Kardashian carrying a strapless Mugler costume, and Barker carrying a Maison Margiela go well with. It actually looks like Kardashian is sticking to the darkish shade for the second, retaining it in heavy rotation for public occasions.
See images of Kardashian’s newest pink carpet outfit forward.


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400 North Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
- Toll Free 1.888.564.6273
- Local 202.783.3870
Irwin Jacobs came face-to-face with one of the biggest security issues facing American business executives these days: What happens when a laptop chock full of business secrets gets ripped off?
Jacobs, the chief executive and founder of Qualcomm Inc., had his laptop stolen from a journalism conference this past weekend in Irvine. The IBM ThinkPad laptop, which he had used to give a presentation at the conference, contained megabytes of confidential corporate information dating back years, including financial data, e-mail and personal items.
The theft was a painful reminder of one of the unforeseen costs of the New Economy's most powerful tools: new portable technologies like laptop computers, hand-held electronic organizers and cellular phones. While the devices offer unprecedented flexibility to executives, they also lead to frightening lapses in information security because of the sheer volume of data than can be hauled around on them.
Basically, business data have moved from paper to digits, but many companies aren't moving as quickly to update their security measures. Laptop theft, in particular, is "a big issue it cuts across all different types of companies," says Richard Heffernan, a security consultant with R.J. Heffernan Associates Inc. in Branford, Conn., which performs security audits and other services for large corporations.
Some firms are being careful to protect sensitive information on portable devices. The laptop of Intel Corp. CEO Craig Barrett, for example, is never left alone. Barrett, who takes frequent trips to South America, Asia and Europe, doesn't ever leave the laptop locked in a hotel room or elsewhere either he has it or it is carried by a security person or Barrett's technical assistant.
Intel also prohibits working on confidential documents on airplanes or other public places and restricts the kind of information that can be put on a portable computer, said Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy. Some data can't be put on a laptop at all, while some can be put on only in encrypted form. The company also purges e-mail regularly so years of data won't accumulate.
The theft of Jacobs's laptop, being investigated by Irvine police, marks the first time a top-level executive at Qualcomm had lost confidential corporate information, says company spokeswoman Christine Trimble. Qualcomm doesn't have a policy for what type of information its executives can or cannot carry on their computers, she added.
Though Qualcomm, a wireless-technology provider based in San Diego, hasn't encountered the problem before, many other companies have. Heffernan says many people find their computers missing after snoozing on commuter trains or going to the bathroom on airplanes. But the biggest problem, he said, has been hotels, where the safes that can store valuables usually aren't big enough for laptops. "We had a client who had their hotel rooms broken into on five business trips to Paris in a row," Heffernan said.
The Independent Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy two public-interest groups that have received payments from Microsoft Corp. saw laptops disappear from their offices within the past year. The groups believe the incidents were related to their work with the software company. The pilfered information, association officials say, eventually appeared in the media, usually with embarrassing results for Microsoft.
Two years ago, security-systems maker ADT experienced the scare of laptop theft first-hand. L. Dennis Kozlowski, chairman and CEO of Tyco International Ltd., the Bermuda-based conglomerate that owns ADT, recalls that an ADT marketing executive left his laptop unsecured on his desk when he went home. The laptop disappeared overnight.
Fortunately, ADT soon recovered the missing laptop since it carried an ADT-made security system that used the same satellite technology employed by boat captains to pinpoint the position of vessels. The technology uncovered the thief's exact home address as soon as he turned on the stolen computer. Kozlowski said the laptop victim got "plenty" of ribbing afterward, but the company isn't taking any different security measures because of the incident.
Like ADT, some companies have adapted their security policies to protect the growing mobility of sensitive data. Weyerhaeuser Co. CEO Steven Rogel not only travels without sensitive data on his hard disk, he confines most of his laptop usage to e-mail and scheduling correspondence over the Weyerhaeuser internal network, which requires a password for access, says a company spokeswoman.
3Com Corp. CEO Eric Benhamou aggressively uses encryption programs, which scramble the contents of laptops to conceal data from prying eyes. 3Com urges executives to encrypt sensitive documents when they download material onto laptops, says David Starr, chief information officer of the Santa Clara maker of computer-networking equipment. For example, he says, all the documents relating to 3Com's spinoff of Palm Inc., which was announced last year, would have been encrypted.
Many executives don't bother with encryption technology, even though software aimed at laptops has been around almost as long as the devices themselves. Internet-security companies such as Network Associates Inc., of Santa Clara sell software that lets users encrypt the data stored on notebook hard disks, making it all but impossible for any thief to read or otherwise make use of the data if the laptop is stolen.
EBay Inc. has a tougher laptop policy than many companies. Employees of the San Jose-based Internet auction house have to get approval from supervisors before they remove sensitive information on laptops, floppy disks and CDs, according to Henry Gomez, vice president of corporate communications at eBay.


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Qualcomm has given the foundry order for its 3-nanometer (nm) application processor launching next year exclusively to TSMC, TheElec has learned.
The US chip giant has also given some of the foundry work for its 4nm application processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, to the Taiwanese chip giant, which it previously gave solely to Samsung Electronics, sources said.
TSMC, after receiving the order last year, has already put in the wafers for the chips that will be delivered to customers during the second quarter, they said.
Qualcomm made the decision to rely on TSMC more than Samsung as the latter is facing yield problems for its advanced process nodes, the sources said.
Samsung Foundry, the Korean tech giant’s contract chip-making business unit, is seeing a yield rate of around 35% for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, while the yield rate for Exynos 2200 is even lower than this, they added.
The higher yield on Snapdragon compared to Exynos was due to Qualcomm sending an executive and engineers to Samsung Foundry’s production site, which helped with solving some of the problems, one of the sources said.
But Qualcomm decided to add TSMC as a foundry for the chip as well as it believed it couldn’t sit back when the yield is so low amid the global chip shortage, they said.
Qualcomm told as such to Samsung mobile president TM Roh when he visited the US last year.
Samsung is auditing Samsung Foundry due to the failure of the business unit to meet the volume required by its mobile business unit as well as key customer Qualcomm, they added.
The decision by the US chip giant is a critical hit for the Korean tech giant as it has already lost the foundry order for Nvidia’s 7nm graphic card to TSMC last year.
If Qualcomm and Nvidia decide to wholly rely on TSMC going forward, Samsung would be losing two of the biggest fabless customers that foundry companies rely on for revenue.
However, Qualcomm has decided to continue to give the order for its 7nm RF chip to Samsung, with the promise to order more.


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Newzoo’s June 2022 – Metaverse report is pointing out some great facts. It’s becoming harder for brands to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha through traditional media channels. While some social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter and streaming platforms like Twitch help brands target the younger audience, they lack the gamified elements virtual worlds provide.
Metaverse is where the major brands are rushing to at the moment. There’s no authoritative definition of metaverse of course because there is simply no “The” metaverse. No matter how popular a virtual world may be, it can’t be “the metaverse”.
The report mainly covers how the metaverse is seen through the eyes of some of the key industry players and investors and shines a light on vital global trends shaping the metaverse as we know it. These trends also form the future of blockchain gaming and the NFT space, as they’re heavily intertwined with the developments we see in the metaverse market.
However, one key detail one can pull from the report is metaverse is still mainly growing alongside VR and AR technologies, Google’s Q1 Mobile Games report also suggests that mobile gamers are mainly interested in metaverse followed closely by VR.
You can find the full report here. The main headlines of the report are listed below:
- Big tech and brand involvement
- Roblox: A peek into the future of virtual worlds
- The future of music and entertainment
- The future of fashion and luxury brands
- Play to earn and blockchain gaming
- P2E guilds and the future of work
- The rush for digital real estate
- An introduction to NFT collections
- The transition from NFT collections to global IP
- Crypto and the promise of interoperability


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The majority of consumers say they are ready to make lifestyle changes to fight climate change, and more people than ever are turning to social media for information about sustainability. A new study commissioned by Unilever shows that influencers have the greatest impact on consumers’ sustainability-related decisions, ahead of documentaries, news articles and government campaigns. In fact, 83 percent of all consumers believe TikTok and Instagram are helpful places to look for information about sustainability, and 75 percent are more likely to add sustainable behaviors to their lifestyle after viewing social media content about sustainability.
Unilever also specifically examined the effectiveness of different content styles in stimulating consumer behavior around plastic use and food waste, comparing pragmatic and explanatory content to more upbeat and humorous posts.
While the study found that both styles were effective in changing consumer behavior, 69 percent of people who watched the more pragmatic content made lifestyle changes, compared to 61 percent of those who watched the more upbeat, humorous content. Branded content was seen as equally engaging and authentic as unbranded content.
“People find it difficult to make sustainable decisions due to a lack of simple, immediate and trustworthy information. Our goal is to continue working with our partners to improve the sustainability content produced by our brands and to support the creators we work with,” said Conny Braams, Unilever’s chief digital and commercial officer, in a statement.
Leverage social media to drive consumer behavior change
Unilever has partnered with the Behavioral Insights team and 10 sustainability influencers to create content aimed at convincing consumers to use less plastic and waste less food. Unilever then showed the content to 6,000 social media users in the UK, US and Canada.
Three in four respondents said the content made them more likely to engage in suggested sustainable behaviors, particularly reusing plastic, buying refillable products, and freezing and reusing leftovers. In addition, 72 percent of participants supported companies that sold them more sustainable products and services.
“This study is a world first of its kind and the largest controlled study online to test the impact of different types of social media content,” said David Halpern, chief executive of the Behavioral Insights team, in a statement. “The behavioral change potential of social media is clear, and the results show that there is tremendous opportunity — creating fertile ground for further exploration in this space.” Over 75 percent of respondents said they support content creators in using their Encourage audiences to behave more sustainably.
More social change is needed to avert the climate catastrophe
Unilever’s study found that social media is a powerful tool to bring about lasting change in consumer behavior. However, today’s world of social media is more often used to increase spending habits and consumption levels, which are the main obstacles in the fight against climate change.
To effectively use their platforms to drive sustainable behaviors, brands and influencers need to encourage individual action and social change. Unilever uses the results of the new study to support its sustainability message.
“What we’re hearing from consumers is that living sustainably is a constant, overwhelming effort and many feel, ‘What I do doesn’t count anyway,'” Braams noted. However, armed with the findings of the new study, Unilever aims to support content creators and improve their sustainability content to drive better individual actions across their consumer base.
“Together we’re learning what everyone likes and no action versus content that makes sustainable choices easy and preferred,” she said. Instead of contracting with influencers to encourage their viewers to buy and consume, companies can accelerate individual change by communicating with their audience simple ways to make better environmental choices.
Credit: Anna Nekrashevich/Pexels


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Unlikely as it might sound, Meryl Streep helped track down Marilyn Monroe’s ivory halter dress from “The Seven Year Itch” as a last-minute addition to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s upcoming “Hollywood Costume” exhibition.
Perhaps more widely recognized as the billowing, thigh-baring number that Monroe wore standing above a New York City subway grate, the Travilla design hung in a number of different closets before making its way to London. Twentieth Century Fox, which produced the 1955 film, auctioned the scene-stealing dress and thousands of other props and costumes from the movie in 1971. At that time, American actress Debbie Reynolds bought the dress to add to her extensive costume collection.
Fast forward nearly four decades to 2009, when a V&A team paid a visit to Reynolds’ son’s California ranch, which also served as a storage facility. During that visit, senior guest curator Deborah Nadoolman Landis and assistant curator Keith Lodwick lined up the Travilla dress and other standout pieces for “Hollywood Costume,” which bows Saturday.
But that plan went up in smoke in December 2010, when Reynolds revealed plans to sell the ivory dress and other key pieces from her private stock at auction the following year. Landis was in the crowd at that “Profiles in History” sale, when the dress went for a record-breaking $4.6 million bid — $5.52 million with taxes and fees.
She and the rest of the V&A team then kept tabs on the whereabouts of the Reynolds costumes as they were dispersed among international collectors. This is where Streep stepped onto the scene.
After being interviewed by Landis for “Hollywood Costume,” the Academy Award-winning actress asked the curator if she had secured everything she wanted for the show. The guest curator told Streep about the post-Reynolds auction search and Streep offered to get in on the treasure hunt. The actress later arranged for Landis and her associates to contact the current owner, who agreed to lend the iconic dress.
Landis said “Hollywood Costume” would be incomplete without it. “Filmmaker Billy Wilder, with his sly humor, used the summer New York heat to create a comedic and sexy scene that became the lasting image of Marilyn Monroe,” she said.
The heavy crepe cocktail dress was an of-the-moment look in the Fifties. Travilla’s take is made of two pieces of pleated fabric that came together behind the neck, leaving the arms, shoulders and back bare. A narrow belt wrapped around Monroe’s torso, crisscrossing in the front and tied into a small bow on the front left side. Travilla made a point of using rayon crepe to ensure the dress would swing, sway and lift in a breeze.
A few other marquee looks from Reynolds’ collection have been retrieved, including the Adrian-designed waitress uniform Joan Crawford wore in “Mildred Pierce”; the Peacock feather dress Edith Head dreamt up for Hedy Lamarr in “Samson & Delilah,” and Irene Sharaff’s gold gown for Barbra Streisand in “Hello Dolly.”


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CEOs of some of America’s biggest companies are in... moreCEOs of some of America’s biggest companies are in China this week. Elon Musk wrapped his 2-day whirlwind trip to China on Thursday to take the pulse of one of their top markets after the country reopened following nearly three years of pandemic restrictions. Elon Musk, Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang Laxman, Narasimhan of Starbucks and Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan are among the big names who are visiting China.
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WICHITA — Though Greg and Melissa Wilson aren’t locating their new Liquor Warehouse at NewMarket Square, NewMarket is part of what convinced them to choose the 21st and Maize intersection.
The Wilsons’ store will open at Prescott Center near the southwest corner of the intersection in September.
That’s across from the NewMarket entrance by Walmart.
“It’s a perfect draw coming right out of that Walmart exit,” Greg Wilson says.
He says he and his wife looked at several properties in the area, but that one “was going to be much more customer friendly.”
The store will be 3,000 square feet.
Wilson says he won’t know what he’ll specialize in until his customers tell him what they want.
“We have been customers for our entire lives, and no one has asked us our thoughts and our opinions on anything,” he says. “We as customers just accept what folks do with us.”
Wilson says that’s not how he wants his store to be.
“Our notion is let’s mix and match,” he says. “Let’s kind of be the disc jockeys of the retail world and take special requests and take call-in orders and (do) unique packaging.
“The customers run the thing. Not us.”


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OnePlus previously used to release 4 phones a year, 2 in the Q2 and another 2 in the Q4. This year OnePlus seems to have a different plan, of releasing the phone slotted for Q2 a little early. It was rumored that the upcoming phone from the company was scheduled for a launch in May, but there are some new improvements. According to a new rumor, Oneplus may launch the phone on April 14. The phone which is to be launched is OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. Along with those two mobiles, one additional phone is also expected to be launched named OnePlus 8 Lite. If true, a total of three phones would be launched instead of two, as we used to. Recently, the famed leakster Ishan Agarwal in collaboration with 91mobiles shared some details of OnePlus 8 Lite.
OnePlus 8 Lite Overview
Previously, some specifications of the phone were reportedly leaked. The new report backs the old report and says the OnePlus 8 Lite would feature a 6.4 inch AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate on the front. The display also comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner and a punch-hole cutout. The selfie hole is on the top center part of the phone housing a selfie camera that remains unspecified for now. It would also be the first phone by the company to be powered by a MediaTek processor. The processor used in the display is speculated to be a Dimensity 1000 SoC.
The phone would run on the latest Android 10 OS out of the box. The phone would also feature a triple camera setup, the primary sensor being a 48MP lens. Accompanying the main sensor is the 16MP wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto lens. On the battery side, the phone is reported to sport a 4,000mAh battery that supports 30W fast charging. OnePlus 8 Lite will arrive in two variants 8GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB.
OnePlus 8 Lite Pricing and Availability
Coming to the pricing of the phone, the OnePlus 8 Lite is speculated to be priced at 400 GBP or $511. Converting it to Nepali currency, it approximately comes to be ~NPR 60,500. And as for the availability the device should be available from July in India. There are no words on the Nepal launch yet.
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- Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus is available in Nepal at Rs 17,000
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the smartphone with 16GB RAM, 108MP camera and 100x zoom
- Poco X2 finally launched, is it a new mid-range gaming beast?
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- Huawei Mate XS is a-year-old Mate X but with improved hardware
- Apple iPhone 9 / iPhone SE 2: Release date, specs, price, and everything we know so far


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For their dedication to agriculture, their community and family, a Bowie couple has been selected as this year’s Texas Farm Bureau Excellence in Agriculture competition winner. Scott and Sara Holloway are active in their community […]
Dec. 9 is the final day to submit a Santa letter to be included in the Dec. 24 holiday edition. Please drop your letters off at 200 Walnut Street in the front lobby.
Christmas activities postponed due to rainy weather last Saturday will take place this week in Bowie and Nocona. The 25th Annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade will roll through downtown Bowie at 7 p.m. on […]
By DANI Blackburn To understand the history of the Nocona’s leather goods industry one need look no further than the old Nocona Boot Factory Building. The town has been known for its quality leather goods […]
All three cities in Montague County have either cancelled or postponed their Dec. 3 Christmas events due to forecasted bad weather. Bowie’s Fantasy of Lights Christmas Festival has been moved to 7 p.m. Dec. 8. […]
Bowie welcomes the holiday season with the 25th Annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Festival on Dec. 3. Main Street Bowie and local businesses presented a variety of activities for the entire family to enjoy. It […]
Montague County gets ready to welcome the Christmas season with a variety of community events this Saturday on Dec. 3. The Nocona Chamber of Commerce will present its “Hometown Christmas,” which includes a parade, entertainment […]


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Rare and expensive classics get reborn!
EMI Music Sweden is proud to present the reissues of some
Swedish sought after hard rock and metal classics.
March 25th marks the release of the campaign Swedish Metal
Classics, a pack of well hidden gems and forgotten jewels get
a chance to reach a brand new audience across the globe!
24 albums, 10 of them haven’t been available since the 80’s.
A 16 track compilation feature each band in the campaign;
Alien, Biscaya, Bedlam, Dalton, Talk of the town a.o.


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The New Face Of Hunger
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The price of food is soaring. The threat of hunger and malnutrition is growing. Millions of the world’s most vulnerable people are at risk.
An effective and urgent response is needed.
The first of the Millennium Development Goals, set by world leaders at the U.N. summit in 2000, aims to reduce the proportion of hungry people by half by 2015. This was already a major challenge, not least in Africa, where many nations have fallen behind. But we are also facing a perfect storm of new challenges.
The prices of basic staples — wheat, corn, rice — are at record highs, up 50 percent or more in the past six months. Global food stocks are at historic lows. The causes range from rising demand in major economies such as India and China to climate- and weather-related events such as hurricanes, floods and droughts that have devastated harvests in many parts of the world. High oil prices have increased the cost of transporting food and purchasing fertilizer. Some experts say the rise of biofuels has reduced the amount of food available for humans.
The effects are widely seen. Food riots have erupted from West Africa to South Asia. In countries where food has to be imported to feed hungry populations, communities are rising to protest the high cost of living. Fragile democracies are feeling the pressure of food insecurity. Many governments have issued export bans and price controls on food, distorting markets and presenting challenges to commerce.
In January, to cite one example, Afghan President Hamid Karzai appealed for $77 million to help provide food for more than 2.5 million people pushed over the edge by rising prices. He drew attention to an alarming fact: The average Afghan household now spends about 45 percent of its income on food, up from 11 percent in 2006.
This is the new face of hunger, increasingly affecting communities that had previously been protected. Inevitably, it is the “bottom billion” who are hit hardest: people living on one dollar a day or less. When people are that poor, and inflation erodes their meager earnings, they generally do one of two things: They buy less food, or they buy cheaper, less nutritious food. The result is the same — more hunger and less chance of a healthy future. The U.N. World Food Program is seeing families that previously could afford a diverse, nutritious diet dropping to one staple and cutting their meals from three to two or one a day.


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First thing’s first: LG Electronics had a pretty damn good Q1 2014. The company posted revenues of $13.35 billion company-wide, which was a meager 1.2% over the same quarter a year ago.
Positive is positive, though, so kudos to them. That led to increased net profit of $86.82 million. Drilling down further, LG’s mobile sector shipped 12.3 million smartphones, which was a 19% increase from the same period a year ago.
Those smartphones accounted for 75% of all LG Mobile sales, which means they’re finally moving the needle up against Samsung. It might not amount to a ton when considering Samsung’s own growth, but for as hard as it is to keep a steady train of success going in this industry it can be marked as a big feat. Revenue from the Mobile division was about $3.19 billion, which is just under a quarter of all company-wide revenue — not too shabby, LG.
With that, LG felt it necessary to mention that they expect these numbers to get even better in Q2, and in explaining why they believe that they were willing to name drop their next flagship smartphone — the LG G3. We’d be fools not to think it exists, but hard confirmation from the source is always noteworthy.
Rumors say the G3 should be rolling in with a 5.5-inch QHD display (2560 x 1440), LG Odin octa-core CPU, and a 16 megapixel camera. It’ll also be continuing LG’s trend of rear buttons as opposed to the traditional side-mounted affair.
Also expected to contribute to LG’s Q2 is a wider launch of their L-Series III line, their entry-level smartphones for budget-minded consumers. Head to the source link if you’re interested in the full numbers.


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Developers are effectively "committing suicide" in the UK by running their studios without solid business advice and by jumping into self-publishing without knowledge of the realities of the new games economy.
That's according to TIGA CEO Richard Wilson speaking at the Westminster Media Forum today, who having praised the introduction of tax breaks for the UK, addressed other issues that are affecting the regional development scene.
"Too many studios effectively commit suicide in the UK because they don't have access to good business advice. We intend to provide access to mentors in the UK to help start-ups become more sustainable," he said.
We have to make sure game development exploits the tax relief and ensure that no politician, no sector and no business can take away our tax break.Richard Wilson, TIGA
"Self-publishing is extremely important to the UK. Digital distribution is in the ascent, retail is in decline as the events at GAME confirm," he added.
"It's no wonder some developers see self-publishing as the siren's call. Yet self-publishing in the absence of good business advice is risky. Follow the siren's call and you could up in hospital. We intend to make sure excellent advice is available for studios that want to move into self-publishing."
Yesterday chancellor George Osborne revealed tax breaks for the UK development sector of up to £50 million by 2015 - a campaign that TIGA has been supporting for over five years.
But while the latest move was seen as a triumph, Wilson warned that the UK industry must fight to prove and retain tax relief in the long-term.
"There's no room to be complacent. The peacock of today is often the feather duster of tomorrow."
"W need to guard the tax relief in the same way that we guard the crown jewels. Just because it's being introduced doesn't mean that it will be around for ever. We have to demonstrate that tax relief will really power the UK industry forward. We have to be on our guard, we have to make sure game development exploits the tax relief and ensure that no politician, no sector and no business can take away our tax break."
He added: "I'd like to praise the government and opposition parties for showing faith in the game development sector, their faith will not be in vain. With the tax break our industry is set for future growth."
He urged the government to introduce the tax breaks as quickly as possible, as well as look at other ways to make the UK games economy more competitive including improving R&D tax credits and expanding the Abertay Prototype Fund. The industry itself also has a responsibility, said Wilson, and should be supporting David Braben's Raspberry Pi Foundation, investing in higher education and supporting the need to grow skills in the UK.


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Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee has launched their latest offering, a colorful smartphone named Pioneer P5W which comes in multiple color options like yellow, blue, red, white and black. It has been launched in the budget smartphone segment carrying a price tag of Rs. 6,499. The device comes with a 5-inch HD IPS Oncell display having resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.
The device is powered by a 1.3GHz Quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and 16GB inbuilt memory expandable up to 128GB using microSD card. The device runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop and comes with additional features like new customization lock feature called AMI lock along Face Unlock feature which lets you scan your face to unlock your phone within 0.5 seconds.
- Display: 5-inch HD IPS Oncell display having resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels
- Processor: 1.3GHz Quad-core SoC
- RAM and Storage: 1GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage expandable up to 128GB using microSD card
- Camera: 5MP rear camera with LED flash and 2MP front facing camera
- OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop
- Battery: 2000mAh
- Connectivity: Dual 3G SIM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB and supports USB OTG
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Tamir Baran Acharyya, GM, Gionee India, said, “The idea behind introducing P5W has been the youth and their fascination towards carrying bright colorful phones. P5W comes in exciting color ranges from white, blue, red, yellow and black etc. The look and the feel of carrying the device have been thoroughly thought after. Aiming specifically at the youth of the country, we are sure that the device would gauge tremendous interest as like its predecessors.”
The Gionee P5W comes with 5MP rear camera with LED flash and a 2MP front facing camera which comes with Beautification option along with Panorama shots and Mood cards. The device is powered by a 2000 mAh battery and is available in multiple color options like white, black, blue, red and yellow. It does not support 4G and comes with connectivity features like 3G HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro USB and USB OTG. The Gionee P5W was announced in December last year and has been launched into the market priced at Rs. 6,499.


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EA today revealed that Kyrie Irving, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 14, which is scheduled for release this fall on the Xbox One and P layStation 4.
“I’m so proud to be the face of this franchise as it makes its much-anticipated return,” Irving said. “I’ve been on the court with the development team and I’ve seen first-hand some of the amazing things EA SPORTS is doing with NBA LIVE 14. The fans are going to love it.”
The game will feature the new bounceTek ball physics, which is supposed to give players precise control over the ball, while the EA Sports Ignite engine aims to bring the atmosphere and player movements to life.


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As the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council members gather in New Delhi for their two day meeting, sources, today, confirmed that consensus had been reached in most of the clauses of the Central GST draft law.
According to sources, on its second day of meet, tomorrow, the council gathering for the seventh time will be discussing the vexed issue of cross empowerment or dual control of assessee jurisdiction under the pan-India indirect tax regime.
“The issue of dual control is laid out in the agenda of this ongoing seventh Council meet. It will be discussed tomorrow (day-two),” Finance Ministry sources told IANS.
The solution to the critical issue has eluded consensus over six previous meetings of the GST Council. Day one of the two-day Council meet ended on Thursday with no discussion on dual control but discussed the GST bills, the source added.
The three GST bills – Central GST (cGST), Integrated GST and State Compensation Law – need to be approved by the Council before they can be tabled in the Parliament. The deadlock on the issue in the GST Council has raised questions on the targeted implementation date of April 1, 2017 for the indirect tax regime. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been emphasising that the luxury of time is not available for the GST implementation for the reason that if April 1, 2017, is the first possible day it can be implemented, then the last date also is constitutionally defined as September 16, 2017.
“So the discretion as to when to implement is only five months and 16 days and that’s why we don’t have the luxury of time because after five months, the curtains will come down on the old taxation powers,” Jaitley had said earlier.
With a serious question mark over the April 1 target, now that the legislations could not be tabled in the winter session, the plan appears to be to have GST come into force by default when the time given by the constitutional amendment will automatically expire for roll out of the new indirect tax regime.
(With inputs from agencies)


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New sales figures on Chromebook sales from January to November 2013 are in from NPD Group Inc. (formerly National Purchase Diary), a consumer market research group. NPD claims that Google’s OS-based Chromebooks grabbed approximately 21 percent of the entire notebook market in 2013, making them a serious threat to Microsoft and Apple Inc.
Back in 2012, sales of Chromebooks were estimated to only account for and insignificant amount that was less than one percent of the entire notebook market. The latest 20 percent jump in market share this year is one of the largest increases across many markets according to the NPD.
The biggest players in the notebook game are of course Microsoft and Apple Inc. Both companies must be a bit concerned over Chromebooks’ new market share. Microsoft has already launched a smear campaign trying to deter people from making the switch to a Google OS. To add to their concern, more manufacturers of notebooks have recently decided to ride the new wave of Chromebook sales and have started to manufacture their own brand of Chromebooks.
When Chromebooks first hit the market they were met with doubt from the general consumer that the new concept in computing would ever leave the ground. Obvious to the NPD reports, this consumer doubt has subsided and done so at a fairly large rate over the last year.
The 2013 sales figures for Chromebook have taken their toll on Microsoft’s sales and according to NPD, Microsoft experienced a zero percent growth in their sales since 2012. Apple Inc. has also had a total of a seven percent decline in their desktop and laptop sales combined. Unlike Microsoft, Apple has not commented or responded to the new Chromebook threat.
According to the NPD’s stats, Chromebooks accounted for 1.76 million units sold in the last 11 months. This is a huge improvement from the previous year’s records that only showed 400,000 Chromebook units sold.
In a recent press release, Amazon confirmed that Chromebooks snapped up two of the three top spots for their holiday’s best seller status this season. The two top sellers were Samsung and Acer with their Chromebook version. Both manufacturers have multiple models of Chromebooks and it was unclear which actual models topped Amazon’s sales.
Amazon currently lists Acer’s C720 Chromebook as their top selling laptop computer and Samsung is listed as second. The third top selling notebook goes to Asus for their Transformer Book T100, which is actually a laptop-tablet hybrid running Microsoft Windows 8 and not the Chromebook OS.
What attributed to Chromebook’s success is that Google gives free licenses to distribute the Chrome OS to manufacturers. With the cut in OS cost, manufacturers are able to pass on the savings to the customer which makes the less expensive Chromebook a lot more affordable and attractive to buyers.
Another advantage to having a Chromebook is that the web-based Chrome OS doesn’t require high specifications to function. Having no need for the manufacturer to use expensive top-of-the-line technology, this is another cost saving advantage that Chromebook has to offer over their competitors.
A third factor that may have pushed Chromebook sales is the bad rap and criticizing that Windows 8 has been receiving from the public over the last year. This has consumers seeking other alternatives to the standard Microsoft or Apple Inc. OS’s. While some Windows 8 customers were screaming for Microsoft to give them back their start button, other consumers were walking out of stores with a new Chromebook in hand.
Whether Chromebook sales will continue to increase in 2014 is anyone’s guess. In order to further threaten Microsoft and Apple Inc., Chromebooks will have to break free from the home-user category and start to look towards taking away some of their business and corporate markets.
By Brent Matsalla


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Digital nomads are a new breed of enterprising individuals who make their living while travelling the world. They are location-independent and use technology to perform their jobs. Technology has allowed for new forms of working environments to thrive, rendering formal workspaces a thing of the past.
Professions that digital nomads usually take up are writing and blogging, web design, software development and the occasional photography. But there are also researchers, accountants and journalists who take up the work-travel life. They can be freelancers, business owners or even employed by companies venturing into remote working.
In 2018, a survey conducted by FlexJobs found that on average digital nomads are usually married females aged between 30 to 40 years, working at least 40 hours a week. In the same survey, 70 percent of digital nomads were women.
A digital nomad is not a job, but a work-travel lifestyle. But contrary to popular belief, digital nomads rarely work next to the pool with a coconut mocktail in hand. Working outside the office environment, they usually work from cafes, coworking spaces or their hotels or hostels.
The travel industry in ASEAN is evolving with low-cost flights, digital platforms and wider internet penetrations. It is easier to travel within the region due to the proximity of its cities and easier border crossings. Because of its lower cost of living (against stronger foreign currencies), ASEAN countries are the perfect destinations for nomadic tourism.
At the fourth ASEAN Marketing Summit in Jakarta in 2018, Indonesia’s Tourism Minister, Arief Yahya hopes his country can cash in on the 39.7 million backpackers travelling around the world every year. Targeting to build 100 digital markets in 34 provinces and 10 nomadic spots at the country’s favourite destinations, his ministry hopes to make nomadic tourism in Indonesia a hassle-free, easy and affordable option.
“We must know our positioning, and that is choosing the millennial market,” said Arief Yahya.
By 2020, the global workforce will consist of mostly millennials. Pieter Levels, the founder of ‘nomadlist.com’, says that by 2035 there’ll be an estimated one billion digital nomads roaming the planet. He cites the rise of freelance work, increasing affordability of air travel and the decline in home ownership and marriage contributing to the rising number.
In 2017, a global survey was conducted by ῾peopleperhour᾽ to create a “digital nomads by city” index. It found that Bangkok, Thailand came in seventh place, followed by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 11 and Singapore in 12. This ranking, however, did not include several other Southeast Asian cities that are well known for their digital nomad communities.
According to nomadlist.com – a website that ranks cities by their nomad-friendliness – based on factors such as living cost, internet speed and entertainment options, Thailand is the place millennials head to for comfort, affordability and a warm climate. Chiang Mai’s digital nomad communities are one of the best in the region. However, Bali remains one of Indonesia’s most popular destinations for its four million tourists and digital nomads.
The digital nomad lifestyle is one of the fastest growing lifestyles in an age of remote work and shared workspaces.
Technology is shaping the way youth in Southeast Asia live and work. The rapid adoption of digital technologies, increasing affluence, and urbanisation, together with government efforts to bridge the region’s populations, cultures and island archipelagos are some of the reasons attracting digital nomads to Southeast Asia.
For digital nomads, the region’s widespread access to the internet, deeper penetration of mobile connectivity and stable electricity is as important as internet speeds. Battling dodgy Wi-Fi connections is not ideal when deadlines are fast approaching. Thailand tops the region with the fastest average internet speeds at 15-40 Megabits per second (Mbps) with Indonesia’s at 18-20 Mbps. Unfortunately, Malaysia’s average internet speed is still low at just 8-11 Mbps. The internet economy in the region is worth a massive US$50 billion and the market is growing annually.
Digital platforms are also important for nomads to plan their travel itineraries. Increased visa facilitation and the proliferation of budget airlines are keeping digital nomads on the move. According to a report by Google and Temasek, an estimated 41 percent of all travel-related bookings in ASEAN for 2018 were made online. This freedom to travel also gives the digital nomad the opportunity to explore new places within the region.
The influx of digital nomads into Southeast Asia is advantageous because any type of tourism has the potential to spur economic development. However, there is also a dark side to the curated lifestyle of digital nomads. According to one digital nomad, the trending lifestyle is “built off the back of impoverished nations, and the exploitation of less privileged people.”
Digital nomads with their strong currencies can easily outspend the locals in a particular area. This influx of wealth into poorer areas in the region can damage economic ecosystems in the long run. It may also displace long-term residents due to the rising cost of living. In the end, digital nomads are still tourists with no stake in the spaces they briefly occupy.


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Not to be outdone, Walmart and Target have announced they will hold big sales that will compete with Amazon Prime Day.
Amazon announced last week that Prime Day(s) will be held Monday, June 21, and Tuesday, June 22.
Walmart’s ”Deals for Days” will kick off on Sunday, June 20, and continue through Wednesday, June 23.
Target’s “Deal Days” are June 20-22.
Although Walmart has not yet released sale items, shoppers can expect to find discounts similar to Black Friday on electronics, laptops and tablets. According to laptopmag.com, one of those deals will be on the HP Chromebook 11 on sale for $159.
Walmart also has a membership similar to Prime called Walmart+. Walmart+ is $12.95 a month, $98 a year and offers free shipping with no minimum, savings on gas and more.
Walmart last week announced it will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 2021, for the second year. The retailer also said it has created an app for employees and will give all of its 740,000 employees a free Samsung smartphone to access the app and for personal use.


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Not long after the American Medical Association recommended that lawmakers ban direct-to-consumer drug advertising by pharmaceutical manufacturers, Connecticut congresswoman Rosa DeLauro is proposing new curbs in the form of a three-year moratorium on DTC ads for new drugs, as well as a permanent prohibition on ads for drugs determined to have “significant” side effects.
DeLauro, a Democrat, said her proposed “Responsibility in Drug Advertising Act,” which would prohibit pharmaceutical manufacturers from advertising a new drug for three years after it is introduced, is intended to fight the inflation of health care costs and prevent consumers from taking unnecessary medications.
She noted that U.S. spending on prescription drugs rose 13% from 2014-2015, topping $374 billion in the latter year.
Introducing the bill, DeLauro stated: “At the end of the day, we should allow informed medical professionals, not advertising executives, to guide our healthcare spending.” Opponents of DTC advertising have argued that the messages prompt patients to put pressure on doctors to prescribe drugs that they don’t need or which are more expensive than equally effective alternatives.
Pharmaceutical companies and advertising agencies fired back, blasting the proposed ban on First Amendment grounds as well as ethical concerns.
Dan Jaffe, the Association of National Advertisers’ group executive vice president for government relations, stated that under the proposed rules, “if you come up with a drug that is lifesaving, you could not tell people about it for two or three years. Cutting people off from truthful, valuable and lifesaving information is not only deceptive but unconstitutional.”
Previously, following the AMA’s recommendation in November of last year, PhRMA spokeswoman Tina Stow argued “beyond increasing patient awareness of disease (including undiagnosed conditions) and available treatments, DTC advertising has been found to increase awareness of the benefits and risks of new medicines and encourage appropriate use of medicine.”On that note, drug companies pointed to research summarized in a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, titled “Prescription Drug Advertising and Drug Utilization: The Role of Medicare Part D,” showing that DTC prescription drug ads may be beneficial to consumer healthcare by boosting patient adherence to drug regimes.


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THE new boss of BARCLAYS vowed the bank will change its ways yesterday — as he
landed a huge £8.6million pay package.
Antony Jenkins was promoted to succeed disgraced Bob Diamond as chief
executive after three years in charge of retail and business banking.
The appointment of the exec dubbed “Safe Hands” came 12 hours after
Barclays admitted it faces a criminal investigation over its 2008 bailout by
The bank has already been fined for fixing Libor and set aside £450million of
compensation for flogging dodgy “swap” loans.
Mr Jenkins admitted that Barclays had made “serious mistakes” but vowed he
would make it the go-to bank for all customers.
Speaking to Sun City, the 51-year-old said: “I’m absolutely committed to
building the right culture.
“We need to be explicit about having to serve all of our stakeholders —
clients, customers and broader society.
“We have made serious mistakes in the past, but there’s a tremendous sense of
Mr Diamond quit his £12million-a-year post in July after the Libor scandal
shamed the bank.
After starting out at Barclays almost 30 years ago, Mr Jenkins will earn a
basic salary of £1.1million as chief exec.
On top of that, he could get an annual bonus of up to £2.75million, share
award of up to £4.4million and a pension contribution of £363,000.
Mr Jenkins admitted he was well paid but said his salary was “below” the
average for a FTSE 100 chief.
Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna immediately backed the new boss,
saying: “He readily accepts the issues in the banking sector are not
isolated to a few bad eggs but are cultural.”
But campaign group MOVE YOUR MONEY blasted: “This will do nothing to
change the DNA of an organisation repeatedly caught pursuing short-term
profit at all cost.”
Mr Jenkins — credited with reviving BARCLAYCARD between 2006 and
2009 — insisted his own past was scandal-free.
He added: “We have got to understand how these things happened and prevent
them ever happening in the future.”
– SUN CITY COMMENT: “AJ” is as different from flash brash Bob
Diamond as you can imagine.
Barclays may be more boring but after recent events they’ll be happy with
The game’s up for JJB
JJB SPORTS was on the brink yesterday as it put itself up for sale —
and admitted its shares may be worthless.
The shock move means the chain is edging closer to a restructuring that could
trigger huge job losses among the 4,000 staff.
Experts said a “pre-pack” administration — where the chain collapses and the
best stores are sold to a new buyer — was almost inevitable.
Shares collapsed 84 per cent to just 0.4p yesterday. They were 128p three
In a grim statement announcing the sale, JJB said: “The directors do not
believe the company will be able to raise the level of funds required to
implement the turnaround.” JJB — which today runs just 180 shops — has been
hit by fierce competition from rival Mike Ashley’s SPORTS DIRECT.
Four months ago US giant DICK’S SPORTING GOODS invested
£20million. Other investors have also lost a fortune.
Ads giant returning
ADVERTISING tycoon Sir Martin Sorrell is bringing his business WPP back
to Britain — as he warns of slower growth.
The chief exec told Sun City “the prodigal son is returning” as he confir-med
WPP’s tax domicile is to return from Ireland.
It follows a February ruling that profits of foreign subsidiaries would NOT be
subject to tax.
WPP’s half-year profits rose seven per cent to £357.7million.
Revenue growth this year will be 3.5 per cent following a slowdown in the US
and western Europe.
Dole in wall
BRITAIN’S taxpayer-backed banks were last night urged to bin cash machine
restrictions on more than a MILLION poorer customers.
Andrew Tyrie MP said RBS and LLOYDS should allow their basic
bank account holders to withdraw money from rivals’ ATMs.
RBS introduced the ban last year, blaming fees charged by its competitors. Mr
Tyrie, head of the Treasury Select Committee, said: “Those affected are
among the most vulnerable in society.”
Hays lays off its staff
RECRUITMENT giant HAYS is laying off its own staff in the UK as
Boss Alistair Cox said 150 had gone in the past year as banks stop hiring and
Whitehall cuts costs.
Group half-year profits are up 15 per cent to £122.4million on bumper growth
Mr Cox said: “At the minute, the UK is in the middle of the pack.
“Fees are down 7 per cent here but it’s worse in southern Europe.”
Ferraris sell fast
CAR nuts and wealthy Londoners have sparked a boom in sales of Ferrari motors
at upmarket dealer HR OWEN.
Sales rose ten per cent between January and June 30 following the launch of
the £227,000 FF in January.
– THE FORMER boss of ailing music store HMV Simon Fox has joined
Daily Mirror publisher TRINITY MIRROR as its new chief exec. He spent
six years at the high street chain and led its move into live music.


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Take a take a look at a few of the greatest movers within the premarket:
Spirit Airlines (SAVE) – Spirit jumped 6.1% within the premarket after JetBlue (JBLU) sweetened its bid for Spirit. JetBlue will improve its breakup price for the deal to $350 million and pay a part of that as a dividend if the deal is consummated, growing the worth to $31.50 per share. JetBlue shares had been unchanged.
Didi Global (DIDI) – Didi shares skyrocketed within the premarket after The Wall Street Journal reported that China regulators have concluded a year-long probe and it’s set to elevate an order banning the corporate from including new customers.
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) – The beverage maker’s inventory will likely be added to the S&P 500 index previous to the opening of buying and selling on June 21, together with ON Semiconductor (ON) and actual property funding belief VICI Properties (VICI). Keurig rallied 7.9% in premarket motion, with ON Semiconductor surging 7.2% and VICI leaping 8.4%.
Eli Lilly (LLY) – The drugmaker’s inventory rose 1.2% in premarket buying and selling, after saying profitable ends in research involving diabetes medication Trulicity and Jardiance.
Under Armour (UAA) – Under Armour inventory is amongst these being changed within the S&P 500 on June 21. Under Armour will transfer to the S&P MidCap 400, together with laser maker IPG Photonics (IPGP). Under Armour misplaced 1.2% within the premarket.
Revlon (REV) – Revlon is in talks with lenders on pushing again debt fee deadlines because the cosmetics maker tries to keep away from a chapter submitting, in line with individuals conversant in the matter who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. The talks contain extending the maturity date on about $1.7 billion in debt that comes due as early as 2024. Revlon added 1.6% in premarket buying and selling.
Starbucks (SBUX) – Starbucks is considering only external candidates to be its subsequent CEO, in line with interim Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz. He advised The Wall Street Journal that the corporate wants so as to add new expertise to its govt ranks. Starbucks was up 1.8% within the premarket.
Apple (AAPL) – Apple shares are on watch as the corporate’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference begins. Apple inventory has misplaced 16.9% to date this 12 months amid issues a couple of slowdown in demand. Apple gained 1.4% in premarket buying and selling.
Solar firms – Shares of photo voltaic gear suppliers rose in premarket buying and selling, following a Reuters report saying the White House would declare a 24-month exemption from photo voltaic panel tariffs in addition to different strikes to spur U.S. photo voltaic panel manufacturing. SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG) added 4.3%, Sunrun (RUN) jumped 11.1%, First Solar (FSLR) gained 2.3%, JinkoSolar (JKS) rallied 5.9% and SunPower (SPWR) rallied 7.2%.


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The rates for deadly melanoma skin cancers in the United States more than doubled in less than 30 years, according to a recent study released by the federal Centers for Disease Control.
Melanoma rates increased from 11.2 cases per 100,000 Americans in 1982 to 22.7 cases per 100,000 in 2011, and melanoma is responsible for more than 9,000 skin cancer deaths in the nation each year, the CDC says.
And health officials say that more than 90 percent of melanoma skin cancers are due to UV radiation exposure from the sun.
Not surprisingly, the CDC recommends that people take a number of steps -- including the regular use of strong sunscreen - to protect themselves from those sinister UV rays.
This advice is echoed by Dr. Marian Northington, director of Cosmetic Dermatology at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
"Everyone should wear sunscreen all year round, even on cold, cloudy days," she said in a UAB news release. "Unless use of a flashlight is necessary to see, you should have sunscreen on."
How to pick the right sunscreen
To help the consumer, Northington offers tips for picking the right sunscreen.
--The product should be "broad-spectrum," meaning it provides UVA and UVB protection.
--It must have an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30. In fact, the higher the number, the better. "Most people don't use as much as needed in order to achieve that SPF. So it's actually good to have the highest SPF possible," Northington said.
--Sunscreen should be water-resistant if the wearer is playing sports or going in the water.
--It should be oil-free if person's skin is prone to acne.
--Women should not rely on makeup containing sunscreen.
The type of product a person buys is completely up to them, according to Northington. "As long as it is at least SPF 30 and broad-spectrum, whether it is a spray, stick, lotion or gel, it is fine," she said.
And price doesn't matter either, she said, as long as the product has that SPF of at least 30 and the requisite UVA and UVB protection.
Picking sunscreen for kids
Regular sunscreens can be used safely on children but may cause skin irritation, according to Dr. Amy Theos, director of pediatric dermatology at Children's of Alabama hospital and an assistant professor at the UAB School of Medicine.
"Sunscreens that contain physical blockers, like zinc-oxide or titanium dioxide, are preferred for infants and toddlers," she said in the release.
For infants older than six months and children, a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 should be used, according to Theos. This should be reapplied about every two hours.
Don't be shy
Whatever sunscreen one uses, both adults and children should slather it on - about three times more than they think is necessary, according to Northington.
"You need to put on so much that you really have to work to rub it in, to be properly protected," she said.


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The OFT ruled the acquisition of a single Co-operative Group store in Slough should be referred to the Competition Commission, unless Tesco sold the store.
This was because there was a “significant prospect that this transaction would substantially
lessen competition in one-stop shopping in the vicinity”.
Local shoppers complained, according to the OFT, after Tesco bought the store in Slough, even though it already owned an Extra store just over half a mile away. Experts said the decision raised the prospect of an OFT investigation every time a one-stop shop was bought by a multiple if it owned another store in its catchment area.
Guy Lougher, food and drink competition partner at lawyers Wragge & Co, said the new hard line adopted by the OFT was the result of two recent changes.
Last year’s Competition Commission report into the takeover bids for Safeway had crystallised definitions of competition. And reforms introduced by the Enterprise Act 2002 appeared to give the OFT much less leeway when deciding whether an acquisition should be referred.
Lougher said that, as the Act was being interpreted currently, if the OFT was presented with credible evidence opposing an acquisition it had no option but to refer a case. “It is demoted to the role of a postbox in all but the simplest cases,” he said.
However, the OFT is currently involved in a case in the Appeal Court to get this interpretation of the Enterprise Act overturned and give it more discretion to decide the merits of a case.
The Slough case could also help objectors to Tesco’s takeover of the Adminstore c-store chain, said Lougher.
Most objectors have been pessimistic about the prospects of success in blocking the Adminstore deal because the OFT has insisted convenience stores are a separate market to one-stop shops.
But Lougher said: “There is a significantly greater prospect of success with the current interpretation. If the OFT cannot confidently reject the complaints, it will have little option but to refer it.”
At Slough, Tesco claimed it never had long-term plans to trade the stores concurrently.
Corporate affairs director Lucy Neville-Rolfe said Tesco was about to close the Extra store for a major refurbishment and would consider selling the former Co-op store when the work was completed.
She said that she believed the OFT would accept that in lieu of a reference.


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The LA Art Box, The LAAB, has proudly announced that it is bringing an exciting new urban spaceto Los Angeles, California with an aim to connect people and enable them to share their wonderful stories and experience with others. LA is a place of diversity and its upcoming urban gallery space is called The LAAB. To launch this amazing new hybrid concept, the team at The LA Art Box has recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, and they are welcoming generous support and backing.
“The LA Art Box is an art space where people can learn through real experience and meaningful connection. We want to add value to the Los Angeles community by providing enjoyment, engagement and learning opportunities.” Said the spokesperson of The LAAB, while introducing this project to the Kickstarter community. “Our purpose is to give back and our mission is to tell all of our stories to everyone, everywhere.” One of the Co-Founders added.
The Kickstarter Campaign is located on the web at:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/thelaab/stories-that-find-you-discover-the-la-art-box and backers from around the world can become a part of this project by making generous pledges and donations. Moreover, the goal of this Kickstarter campaign is to raise a sum of US$ 22,000 but due to the overwhelming response of the backing community, this crowdfunding campaign has already exceeded this original goal. Furthermore, more details are available on the Kickstarter campaign page of the project.
About This Project
The LAAB is a project of The LA Art Box and it is a hybrid concept where people can interact with each other and create meaningful connections with each other. The upcoming platform also aims to discover and introduce emerging artists, and it will be a cultural storytelling platform in Los Angeles. Moreover, the project is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter and more details are available on its crowdfunding campaign page. The LAAB is set to open in October 2021 on Melrose Avenue.


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Selena Gomez is working on, secretly, in a line of beauty. Although no details of the official has been released yet, the actress and singer, patented the brand of “Selena Gomez” – products which will include fragrance, skincare and cosmetics – on the 11th of July, through her production company, July Moon Productions.
+ The beauty secrets of Selena Gomez
+ Liv Tyler reveals the astonishing beauty routine of a… 25 steps away!
Mexico is following the lead of other celebrities to launch lines of beauty: Fenty, Rihanna, Haus Laboratories, Lady Gaga, and it Has Cosmetics, Kylie Jenner, in the last few years. And it’s not the first time that the former star of Disney’s venture into beauty; she has launched a fragrance of same name in 2011.
+ Selena Gomez: star of the short horror-Petra Collins,
+ – Care-of-beauty-in-flight tips from Naomi Campbell
Here’s what we know about the new beauty line from Selena Gomez to
What will be the new line-up of the beauty of Selena Gomez?
According to the patent, the new beauty line includes fragrances, cosmetics, along with products for the skin, body, hair, and nails. It seems that Spain is also planning to exploit the market’s well-being products for the bath, essential oils, and incense to the list.
What can we expect from the range?
The make-up of the Service, Hung Vanngo, argues for the importance of being prepared with the skin on, and then wait for it to be on the basis of the line of beauty. The actress is also a fan of a smoky eye, then you can also look for a wide range of shades.
When will it be released to the line-of-beauty-Selena Gomez?
All the details of the official – as-the-brand-of-beauty is going to land – has been released so far, but it’s worth to keep an eye on.
Other projects and collaborations, Service he worked?
Out-of-world-of-entertainment-Mexico has launched a collection for the Coach in 2018 at the earliest, as well as designed a line of fitness with the Puma at the beginning of this year. In 2011, she released a fragrance, Selena Gomez, with the Adrenaline pumping, Inc., which she is crowdsourced by your audience. In 2010, she launched her own line of children’s clothing called ” Dream Out Loud.
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Wrexham AFC’s back-of-shirt sponsor VistaPrint have donated £3,000 to Wrexham Foodbank following their ‘Merch Merch’ promotion.
The printed apparel range featured merchandise with Wrexham merchandise printed onto it, and was launched by co-chairmen Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds earlier this year.
As part of their commitment to supporting the wider Wrexham community, VistaPrint have now donated profits of £3,000 to Wrexham Foodbank.
Emily Whittaker, EVP, Global & North America Marketing at VistaPrint, said: “Supporting and strengthening the community is at the core of our partnership with Wrexham AFC.
“Together, we’ve amplified the club’s success and shined a spotlight on local small businesses, but we’re incredibly proud to extend our impact by giving back to deserving community organisations like the Wrexham Foodbank.”
On behalf of the Wrexham community, we would like to say ‘diolch diolch’ and ‘Nadolig Nadolig Llawen Llawen’ to all at VistaPrint.


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In the world of product safety, there are two distinct groups of companies: those that get out in front of a problem and the others. The main differences involve a moral compass and money.
Takata, the Japanese airbag manufacturer that's under pressure to widen its airbag recall nationwide rather than just in high-humidity areas, appears to be one of the others -- perhaps because the cost of recalling up to 20 million vehicles is potentially staggering.
But Takata has held fast to the claim that the defect, blamed in at least five deaths, would not occur in locations other than moist, hot, coastal areas. The propellant that launches the airbags can explode, sending metal pieces flying into the interior of the vehicle. Wetness is thought to contribute to the problem.
Takata has resisted opening the door to the idea that it would have to fix airbags all over country and already is struggling to make enough replacement parts. But pressure from the government is growing as both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and politicians urging the company to expand its recall.
Most of the nation's product-safety system involves self-reporting, even though regulators oversee the process and can press for more action. In the early stages, that means companies that are particularly customer- and safety-conscious will announce recalls before anyone is even hurt.
But quite often, the opposite happens. After a company collects report after report of a product failing or causing harm, it issues no recall -- or one that's only limited in scope.
Companies may wait until they have sold all of the products in question before issuing a recall. Sometimes they wait a long time.
In most consumer product recalls, only a small percentage of consumers who own the product typically bother to comply with the recall, which keeps the recall's cost down. If a recall is conducted early, while products are still in the warehouse or on shelves, the manufacturer has to either eat the inventory or repair far more products than if it had waited for them to be sold.
It can make financial sense for many companies to delay issuing a recall, even if that means playing fast and loose with customer safety.
But when it comes to auto-related recalls, the game is decidedly different. Typically, the inventory involved is already distributed. The repairs costs are far higher, and so is consumer compliance.
For one thing, the owners of affected vehicles are easy to find because everyone gets a warranty, and vehicles and their owners can be tracked through registration information.
Takata need not look back too far to see how costly it can be to not aggressively pursue a recall. Think about how Toyota (TM) tarnished its shiny brand after it became clear how long it failed to act on reports its vehicles could accelerate without warning. On top of slowed sales, Toyota ended up paying $1.2 billion to the U.S. government over how it handled those recalls.
Takata can certainly can see the numbers adding up. Replacing a single auto airbag can cost $1,000. With the driver's-side bag the only one involved at this point, the replacement cost is relatively small in the big picture. Liability costs, however, can be huge.
The company has already set aside about three-quarters of a billion dollars to cover potential airbag-related recall costs. Acknowledging that the defect can occur in any geographic area will most certainly expand that cost. And now, a grand jury investigation is underway into Takata's conduct that could cost it even more.
When corporations try to delay recalls, that might lighten the load in the short term, and on occasion a less-than-forthcoming company might win. But with so many consumers potentially affected and the pressure rising so quickly, Takata appears to be backed into a corner.


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The state Attorney General’s Office ordered an Ithaca auction house Tuesday to pay nearly $250,000 in restitution for tricking customers into giving up their property for auction without returning the proceeds.
Finger Lakes Estate and Auction and owner Charles Dorsey were ordered to pay $237,739 in customer restitution and $12,000 in civil penalties and costs, Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced.
Since October 2015, the auction house sold the property of 24 different consumers without returning any of the proceeds, and continued to take in property for auctions knowing they would not be paying.
The Attorney General’s Office cited one instance in which the businesses sold a customer’s 1965 Austin Healey automobile for $39,000, but failed to pay any of the proceeds despite also taking over $9,300 in commission and sales expense from the customer and an additional $3,900 commission from the buyer.
“New York consumers rely on companies to be trustworthy and responsible,” said Underwood. “No matter the industry, my office will continue to protect New Yorkers from businesses that defraud their customers.”


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On Friday, the BTC/USD pair traded strongly bullish, rising above the $16,750 level to $17,350. However, stronger-than-expected US PPI figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics have triggered a minor bearish correction, causing BTC to lose nearly 1.50% in the last few hours.
Producer Price Indexes – November 2022
We discussed the significance of US PPI figures in my Asian session’s Bitcoin price prediction. The US PPI figures rose 0.3% month over month and 7.4% year over year in December, the slowest annual rate since May 2021. Analysts had predicted a 0.2% increase.
In addition, investors will be watching the US FOMC and CPI numbers on Tuesday and Wednesday next week for some more insight.
SEC Offers Sample Cryptocurrency Asset Market Letters
On December 8, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued new guidance calling on firms to disclose their exposure to the crypto market to investors.
The guidelines were released about a month after FTX, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, declared bankruptcy due to allegedly making risky bets with customer funds.
The advice letter serves as a template for the types of comments that a securities regulator may make to publicly traded companies.
Gary Gensler, the SEC’s chairman, denied earlier this week that the agency had failed to prevent cryptocurrency businesses from misusing clients’ funds.
Furthermore, if the companies violate the law, the SEC, according to Gensler, will take additional regulatory action against them.
Bitcoin’s current price is $17,177, and the 24-hour trading volume is $23 billion. The BTC price is has gained over 1.5% since yesterday.
The BTC/USD pair is trading with a positive bias on Friday after breaking above the $16,750 barrier. On the 4-hour timescale, Bitcoin has formed an upward channel, which is supporting the bullish trend. BTC may face resistance near the $17,400 mark.
A bullish breakout above the $17,400 level could take Bitcoin to the $17,650 level, and a bullish crossover above this level could take Bitcoin to the $18,150 zone. A bearish crossover below $17,000, a level stretched by the 50-day simple moving average, can start a selling trend that could go until $16,650.
Coins with Massive Upside Potential
Despite the bearish price action, the coins below are going from strength to strength, catching the attention of crypto whales.
IMPT (IMPT) – Only 2 days left in presale
IMPT is a carbon-credit marketplace that will reward consumers for shopping with eco-friendly merchants. Once it launches next year, it will issue carbon offsets as NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain, with users able to purchase such NFT-based offsets using the IMPT tokens they receive as a reward for shopping using the platform.
Since opening its sale in October, IMPT has raised more than $16.7 million, with 1 IMPT currently being sold at a price of $0.023. The sale is due to end in just over two days, with listings on Uniswap, LBANK Exchange and Changelly Pro due to follow very soon after.
Dash 2 Trade (D2T) – Presale in the final stage
Dash 2 Trade is an Ethereum-based trading intelligence platform that offers investors real-time analytics and social trading data, so that they can make more informed trading decisions. It will go live in early 2023, with its D2T token being used to pay for the monthly subscription fees to its platform (there are two subscription tiers).
Now in its fourth and final stage, Dash 2 Trade’s presale has already raised more than $9 million. It has also announced listings on Uniswap, BitMart and LBANK Exchange for early next year, meaning that early investors will soon be able to lock in some profits.
Major blockchain-based games like Axie Infinity lost significant traction in 2022. As a result, many investors interested in the crypto gaming space are looking for alternative avenues. Calvaria, an up-and-coming play-to-earn battle card crypto game, could be a good alternative. Calvaria seeks to boost crypto adoption by creating a bridge between the real world and crypto, a fun and accessible crypto game.
Investors should consider Calvaria’s RIA token pre-sale. Calvaria has now raised $2.36 million, with a crypto whale scooping up $97.5K in one purchase on Thursday. The presale is in the final stage, with only 23% of tokens left.


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Mikroniek November 2022: New design principles
The November issue of Mikroniek features the theme of New Design Principles.
It kicks off with a presentation of the Dutch initiative – a joint venture of academia, DSPE and industry – to produce an update of the design principles for precision mechatronics. Various articles feature applications of new design principles, such as passive damping and the use of large-stroke, fully flexure-based manipulators, such as the T-Flex featured in the cover story. In addition, this issue – click here for a first impression – presents a preview of the Precision Fair, the (inter)national highlight on the high-tech industry event calendar. (Image courtesy of Mark Naves, University of Twente)


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July 30, 2021
(Reuters) -Shares of Robinhood Markets Inc shuffled between gains and losses on Friday, a day after star stock picker Cathie Wood picked up 1.3 million shares of the company for the ARK Invest fund during the online brokerage’s grim market debut.
Robinhood’s shares were up around 3.7% at $36.10 in afternoon trading, after losing more than 8% on Thursday and falling earlier in Friday’s session. Market watchers attributed part of the shares’ weakness to a comparatively cold reception from retail investors who have fueled rallies in the shares of other so-called “meme stocks,” as well as Robinhood’s decision to reserve as much as 35% of its shares for its users.
That performance has not dissuaded Wood, who gained fame on the strong performance of her funds in 2020. According to ARK’s daily update for its actively managed ETFs on Thursday, it bought 1,297,615 shares of Robinhood in its ARK Innovation ETF. At Thursday’s closing price, that would have been worth around $45.2 million.
Other investors stayed on the sidelines, citing concerns over its valuation, the risk of regulation and lingering anger with the company’s imposition of trading curbs during the meme stock trading frenzy in January.
“Calls itself Robinhood, steals from the people. Gotta love it,” said one user on Reddit’s popular WallStreetBets, where retail investors have gathered this year to coordinate buying that has helped drive big rallies in Gamestop, AMC Entertainment Holdings and other names.
Retail investors bought a net $18.85 million of Robinhood stock on Thursday, according to Vanda Research, a relatively low amount compared with other initial public offerings, the firm said. Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc. saw retail investors buy $69 million on its debut, while Bitcoin exchange Coinbase took up more than $57 million earlier this year.
Data from Fidelity Investments showed customers on its brokerage platform placed 31,736 buy orders for Robinhood’s stock and 7,451 sell orders on Thursday.
In an unusual move, Robinhood had said it would reserve between 20% and 35% of its shares for its users. IPOs can benefit from excluding retail investors, who end up fueling a first-day trading pop by snapping up shares in the open market.
(Reporting by Megan Davies and Aaron Saldanha in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Ira Iosebashvili; Editing by Louise Heavens and Dan Grebler)


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Thanks to high demand for subcompacts, Ford has increased production of the popular Fiesta in Europe.
Read This Article
Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company's current CEO has brought the Detroit-based auto maker some much needed success since he took hold of the reigns back in 2006.
Not too long ago, stealing copper pipes out of uninhabited homes was the big get-rich-quick scam of lowlifes everywhere.
In a move that is quickly becoming old hat Fiat announced it's pushing back the arrival of Alfa Romeo stateside.


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Kraft Foods implemented a Lean Six Sigma program two years ago, and has recently upped its adherence to the Lean Six Sigma program. The company has seen measurable increases in productivity as a result, and in a statement earlier this year they attributed a portion of their increased first-quarter profit directly to the Lean Six Sigma program.
In a statement at the 2013 Citi Global Consumer conference, Irene Rosenfeld said that Kraft recently “hired and trained about 70 Lean Six Sigma experts to optimize our production lines.” According to Rosenfeld, Lean Six Sigma has contributed to Kraft’s “gross productivity of more than 4% of COGS over the last two years.”
Kraft is still in the process of implementing the Lean Six Sigma program. In a first quarter 2013 conference call, Tim McLevish stated that: “in manufacturing, substantially all of our key manufacturing lines are now at Three Sigma, but only 15% have achieved Four Sigma certification. In other parts of our supply chain, we’re still at the early stages of tapping Lean Six Sigma principles and implementing integrated business planning.” Yet, even in the midst of implementing the program, the company has seen great results.
Implementing the Lean Six Sigma program has helped make Kraft Foods an innovator in the field, and has provided the company with significant benefits. A focus on improving efficiency and eliminating waste has allowed Kraft to simultaneously cut costs from within the production chain. Rather than closing plants or decreasing manufacturing, Kraft has been able to both cut costs and increase productivity by using the Lean Six Sigma program.
Curious about how your company could benefit from a Lean Six Sigma program? Visit our website to learn more about our Lean Six Sigma training programs.
One response to “How is Kraft Foods Using Lean Six Sigma?”
Hi, has anyone of you know other large-sized company know who use lean principle and/or six sigma? Thank you.


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Mozilla imaged an entirely new development medium for those who were interested in the Firefox OS 2.5, but weren’t willing to take the complete dive: by packaging an easy-to-install Android launcher and sending it right to you. Turns out it’s not going to be of much use to those devs anymore. In fact, the platform is now dead.
At least on the smartphone side. Mozilla senior vice president of connected devices Ari Jaaksi tweeted out the twist in Firefox OS’s legacy saying that it will focus on the smartphone web experience and divert development towards the [...]
Ericsson used to have a larger footprint in the mobile technology space. In this decade, we’re lucky if we hear from them once or twice a year. This time around, our luck may have run out if we’re talking about smartphones. It’s a hardware field that Google currently has a vested interest in. Not to worry, though, as one of its software managers has come up with her vision of what’s next.Doom for the devices
Stockholm-based Ericsson commissioned a survey of 100,000 participants across 40 countries including Sweden and has found that people will [...]